The field relates to a warming device having a clinical garment with at least one convective apparatus supported on an inside surface. More particularly, the field relates to warming device constructions including an upper body convective apparatus with components deployable from the sleeves of a clinical garment and to warming device constructions including a lower, multi-section convective apparatus having a therapeutic section inlet port located midway between the top and bottom edges of the lower multi-section convective apparatus.
In this specification, use of the term “convective” to denote the transfer of heat from a device to a body refers to the device's principal mode of heat transfer, it being understood that heat may at the same time be transferred from the device to the body by conduction and radiation, although not to the degree of convection.
Related art pertinent to convective devices that transfer heat to a human body is known. These devices are typically called “convective thermal blankets”, “covers”, “warming blankets”, or “thermal blankets”. Arizant Healthcare Inc., the assignee of this application, makes and sells such devices under the BAIR HUGGER® brand. One such device is the Model 522 Upper Body Blanket.
Thermal blankets are designed for particular deployments where therapeutic warming is indicated. Three representative thermal blankets known in the prior art are shown in FIGS. 1A-1D. A “full body” thermal blanket 10 is shown in FIG. 1A. The full body thermal blanket is adapted to lie upon a person and to extend longitudinally along the body of the person in order to cover substantially the person's entire body, from near the ankles or feet up to the neck. A “lower body” thermal blanket 12 is shown in FIG. 1B. The lower body thermal blanket 12 is adapted to lie upon the person and to extend longitudinally along the body of a person in order to cover the person's lower body, from near the ankles or feet up to the waist or pelvis of the person. Either (or both) of the thermal blankets 10, 12 may include a drape at one or more of its side and lower edges to trap and retain warmed air expelled through the blanket about the limbs of a person to aid in therapeutic warming during surgery. For example, the lower body thermal blanket 12 includes a foot drape 13 at its lower edge.
An “upper body” thermal blanket 15 is illustrated in FIGS. 1C and 1D. The upper body thermal blanket 15 has a bow-tie shape that is adapted to lie upon and extend transversely across the upper body of a person in order to cover the person's chest and extended arms. A head drape 16 may be formed on or attached to the upper body thermal blanket 15 for draping over the head 17 of a person in order to retain warmed air expelled through the blanket 15 about the head to aid in therapeutic warming during surgery.
When fed a stream of warmed pressurized air, each of the thermal blankets 10, 12, 15 inflates and distributes the air within itself. While the thermal blanket lies on the person, the warmed pressurized air flows through apertures or interstices in a permeable surface of the thermal blanket which faces the person. These thermal blankets may have one, two, or more inlet ports 18 through which an air hose 19 provides warmed pressurized air from a heater/blower unit (not shown in these drawings).
Related art pertinent to thermal blankets includes specific constructions described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,482, U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,488, U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,439, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,213. See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,605.
Related art pertinent to a warming device includes adaptation of a clinical garment such as a robe or gown to receive a convective device in order to warm a person wearing the garment in a clinical setting for comfort and mobility of the person is disclosed in the referenced Publication No. WO 2003/086500.
The term “perioperative” is defined in the PDR Medical Dictionary, Second Edition, (Medical Economics Company, 2000), as “around the time of operation.” The perioperative period is characterized by a sequence including the time preceding an operation when a patient is being prepared for surgery (“The preoperative period”), followed by the time spent in surgery (“the intraoperative period”), and by the time following an operation when the patient is closely monitored for complications while recovering from the effects of anesthesia (“the postoperative period”).
Related art pertinent to warming device constructions which may be used perioperatively includes a clinical garment such as a robe or gown that receives one or more convective devices in order to warm a person for comfort or therapy is disclosed in US publications 2007/0093882 A1; 2007/0093883 A1; 2007/0093884 A1; and, 2007/0093885 A1.
The applicants know of previously proposed warming device constructions which include an upper body convective apparatus supported on an inside surface of a clinical garment with deployable elements of the upper body convective apparatus folded in the sleeves of the clinical garment. The folded elements are retained between the clinical garment and the upper body device, with folded ends tucked into cuffs formed on inside surfaces at the ends of the sleeves. To deploy the elements, the ends of the sleeves are opened and the folded ends of the upper body device are pulled from the cuffs. The mechanisms used to open the sleeves require complicated steps in the warming device manufacturing process, which adds to the cost and time of manufacture.
The applicants also know of previously proposed warming device constructions which include a lower convective apparatus supported on an inside surface of a clinical garment and a drape deployed past the lower hem of the clinical garment to trap and retain heated air about the lower limbs and feet. The drape is furled and positioned near the lower hem, and is deployed from that location over the lower portion and feet of the body which is warmed by operation of a therapeutic warming section of the lower convective apparatus. The drape requires complicated steps in the warming device manufacturing process, which adds to the cost and time of manufacture.